AHLA commends H 2B visa expansion, calls for needs based visa system

WASHINGTON (Nov. 15, 2024) - American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) President & CEO Rosanna Maietta released the following statement today after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it would make available another 64,716 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas for fiscal year 2025.

"AHLA applauds DHS for announcing this important, sizeable increase in the number of H-2B visas, which will make it easier for small business hoteliers to access the seasonal workers they need," said AHLA President & CEO Rosanna Maietta. "As chair of the H-2B Workforce Coalition, we welcome this decision, while urging Congress to step in and create a more predictable system based on the need for workers instead of the arbitrary, outdated H-2B visa caps in place today. We look forward to working with members of Congress to achieve just that."

Background
The H-2B visa program is vital to helping independent hotels and resorts in remote vacation destinations fill seasonal roles, but the program is arbitrarily capped at 66,000 visas each year.

Thanks to legislation supported by AHLA, DHS was able to make available an additional 64,716 H-2B temporary nonagricultural visas for fiscal year 2025.

AHLA Workforce Priorities
For years, AHLA has been calling for a more predictable visa system that ensures small business hoteliers have access to the seasonal workers they need to operate. To this end, AHLA supports passage of:

• The Closing the Workforce Gap Act of 2024 (H.R. 7574), which would replace the arbitrary annual cap of 66,000 H-2B guestworker visas with a new, needs-based system for allocating visas.
• The H-2 Improvements to Relieve Employers (HIRE) Act (H.R. 4708), which would expand the H-2A/H-2B labor certification period to three years and permanently authorize the waiver of in-person interviews for returning workers. The HIRE Act would make it easier for qualified workers to secure jobs in fields that are struggling to recruit and retain enough employees to meet demand. By growing the pool of seasonal workers, the bill would give seasonal small business hotels critical staffing relief and facilitate the hotel industry's continued recovery.
• The Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act (S.255/H.R.1325), which would allow people seeking asylum at ports of entry to be eligible for work authorizations starting 30 days after they apply for asylum, provided their applications are not frivolous; they are not detained; their identities have been verified; and their names are run through the federal government's terrorist watch lists. This change would help hotels address critical staffing needs by allowing certain asylum seekers to work as soon as 30 days after applying for asylum. Current law prevents them from legally working for at least six months, forcing them to rely on assistance from local governments and communities.

AHLA Foundation Workforce Policy Priorities
To help hotels fill open jobs and raise awareness of the hotel industry's 200+ career pathways, the AHLA Foundation remains focused on growing and retaining the industry's talent pipeline through workforce development initiatives.

• The Foundation's No Room For Trafficking Survivor Fund and Empowering Youth Program (EYP) support community-based organizations that provide workforce readiness and hospitality training and access to employment opportunities for human trafficking survivors and Opportunity Youth (ages 16-24 who are not currently in school or employed), respectively.
• The Registered Apprenticeship Program is a Department of Labor-funded initiative that combines on-the-job training with classroom education for in-demand occupations. The program supports hospitality industry programs for cooks, lodging managers, and maintenance workers.